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Steve Reich – Different Train Listening Report

 

“Different Trains” by Steve Reich is a composition of tape recording of typical noises that can be found at a train station. In addition to the train noises, string instruments seem to be the guiding factor. Reich used whistle, bell, and squeaking metal noises to create rhythmic patterns. Lyrically, he used the tape recording of expressions that can be heard at a typical train station – “To Chicago”, “You are on the fastest train”, “From New York to Los Angeles” and the leitmotif of this piece “I think there are different trains”. There are also different years mentioned. This could mean that he used tape recording that were recorded years prior to the composition. I think this is an interesting piece because it does not rely completely on the use of non-instruments. In contrast to other works, we looked at, “Different Trains” uses the musical help of string instruments. His intention could lie more in the actual meaning of what is being said. Later in the musical piece, a man says, “Black Crows invades this country”. Reich could have interpreted the typical train station as a metaphor or demonstration of the societal condition of that time. The voice recordings seem to originate from an English-speaking country but the version by the London Contemporary Orchestra features visual elements that show footage of German concentration camps in WW2. This and other comments within the musical piece, “War is over” or “Are you sure?”, indicate that the second World War is the main subject. Trains were not just used to transport war equipment but to transport prisoners to the deadly camps. So different trains had different meanings for their passengers. So, for Reich, trains and train stations are not just a representation of societal conditions or biases but the very thing that can mean life or death.

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